Pages of Fate
by Lucas H. Garrett
Summary: The gang always knew that their lives would forever be different after their adventures in the digital world. Now, three years have passed, and things are beginning to stir up in, Shibuya. Strange happenings have been occurring throughout the city, and it seems, this mystery has only just begun.


**I hope you may like this read. Please, feel free to comment on anything you want. As always, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to canonized works by Bandai, or affiliated groups. All non-canon characters are of my sole creation, and anything similar is purely coincidental.**

* * *

"Oh, my love, it's been so long. I no longer remember how you look." She stood, the hems of her dress touching down against the crystallized flooring. She picked the looking-glass from the table, eyeing its spherical bearings, trying to find the face she has longed for in so many years.

She caressed the glass ball, holding it tightly to her person, like a mother cradling her fragile child. "I miss you so much. It's been so many years." She felt the ball begin to tumble downwards, yet, still, she remained.

"Yet, never a day flutters away that I do not think of you." She felt the ball begin to slip away, yet, still, she did nothing to balance it in her arms. "It pains my heart to think of what once was."

She felt her body weaken, her knees wanting to give way. "I have scoured the heavens, the Earth and all the remains in search of you" She took another glimpse at the sphere, eyeing what was within before finally letting go.

The silver ball crashed gently against the mirror-like flooring, its contents scattering like feathers, brushing ever so softly across the surface.

"And to this day, I have found nothing but sadness." She felt a tear glide against her cheek. She turned away, willing her eyes to gather the courage to look out the only window within the chamber.

She reached her arms out as a means to try and catch the sky between her hands. "What cursed light wills this upon I?" She walked towards the window, shards of glass piercing her feet. She ignored them as they stabbed at her heels. "For they always said, 'Lady Marion, how thou shine like the heaven's stars, with hair as golden as the sun, and eyes as vivid as the beauty that is emerald'."

"What heralded lies," she spat. She creased her nails against the surface of the smooth earthlike pane, tears gushing quietly, but quickly down her face. "'For thine lips are surely meant only for a king,' they said. But to wed a man I did not love, but marry a man whom I did, is that not greater than any crown?"

She wanted to scream, simply let go and give in. But, in the end, she knew it would never bring him back. To quit now, meant giving up on him, and that was something she was not ready for, just yet.

She meekly wiped the remaining tears from her eyes, pulling the laces of her dress over her shoulders. She tapped against the wall with her fingers, while making a clicking noise with her tongue.

Several footsteps could be heard coming from outside the chamber. It wasn't too long before the outer doors were flung open revealing two figures—one short, but modest, and the second larger, but more sublime, shrouded.

They walked towards the woman, the greater of the two, bowing.

The woman smiled, picking up the smaller of the two, and cradling it against her arm. "Kotu," she spoke softly.

The shrouded creature stood, its figure vibrating violently.

She pointed towards the broken glass. "Replicate them," she obliged. "Make for me another one, please."

The figure stared at her, understanding what she meant. It began to shake fervently, the tendrils of darkness churning, spinning quickly. First, it was the head, then the body, until at last, the final bits of its cloak-like darkness was transformed anew. In its place, a sphere shone, levitating.

Quickly, the smaller figure grabbed it, clutching it hard between her hands.

"Thank you," the woman smiled. She placed the smaller figure down on the silken bed, patting against the surface, before sitting beside her. "Show me the world as it was once so long ago."

The little girl stared at her, its eyes hollow, yet, warm. She smiled, the doll-like structure of her face creating creases around her mouth. She fumbled with the glass, turning it until she was sure it was accurately placed between her legs. She did as she was told. She began to mumble a soft chant, streaks of pink emanating from her body, up, until her eyes shone a bright hue.

The woman watched as the sphere's inner cavity unveiled a long forgotten age. She could see it clearly—the stronghold that had encased her parents, the land that had housed her people, but above all, the wretched castle to whom she was doomed to have occupied so many years before.

"Tis' not a day pass that I long to go back into those days," she cried. She placed her hand, instinctively, against the surface of the sphere, an expression of longing streaked across her face. "Back into that time when I was able to hold you between my hands, and yours against I." She could feel her heart flutter, and habitually, she placed a hand over where her heart lay. "We were to wed, but alas, a throne stood before us."

Sighing in suffering, she reached over and whispered something into the small girl's ear.

Without thought, the small girl climbed down the woven bed.

The woman watched, hearing as the sounds of the small girl's wooden heels clanked against the silver surface, as she left the room. "Bring, to me, the future," she mumbled lightly.

* * *

-x-x-x-x-

The girl sat up against her bed, panting, while wiping away small droplets of sweat from her forehead. She had another nightmare, she figured. That, or it was the summer air. She looked out her window, seeing the moon's light gaze down upon, Shibuya.

She sighed. She took another breath of air, before throwing the sheets over her. She looked at the clock. It read a quarter past four. "It's, okay," she told herself. She walked towards the restroom, heading straight for the mirror.

She undid her hair, allowing sleeks of blonde to fold against her shoulders. She patted down on the surface of the wall, searching for the nearby lamp's switch. After flicking the switch, she searched her eyes in the mirror, seeing the clear red from a restless night's sleep. It happened once more. She had another nightmare.

Groaning, she turned the light off, and slipped back into bed. She figured a few more hours would undo the constant interruption, but then again, something told her it wouldn't go as planned.

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-

He, groaned, groggily sitting up. He looked over his bed, seeing the emptiness where his brother's bed use to reside. He sighed. He rubbed at his eyes, lazily getting up. He walked where his shirt lay, putting it on, before stepping outside his room.

He snickered. The hallway looked dark, menacing, to say the least. He awkwardly searched for the hall-light, flicking it on before making his way over to the restroom.

"Man," he groaned, lifting the toilet seat up to empty his bladder. Finishing, he walked towards the sink, applying soap to his hands. He noticed how tired his eyes looked in front of the sink-mirror. He rubbed at them again, blinking several times due to the blur.

That's when he remembered bits of the dream. They were hazy, but it was clear, that same creature appeared once more. Feeling the hairs stand from the back of his neck, he eyed the mirror intently, feeling as if its reflection was betraying him. It had to be a lie.

His eyes widened in horror. Two, sharp, red eyes stared at him from the darkness. He wanted to move, but, yet, he remained still. He opened his mouth to scream but all that came out was a soft whimper.

The eyes moved gently across the dark expanse. He felt frozen, helpless. How he wished he had turned on the bathroom lights. He watched as the eyes shifted, moving closer. He could feel something brush against his leg. He wanted to open his mouth again, but instead bit down hard to keep from screaming.

He felt the energy drain away from him, his skin becoming numb. He needed to close his eyes, hide away. It couldn't be true—his nightmare wasn't real. But, he couldn't stop staring. More than anything his instincts told him to hide behind closed eyes, but his heart told him to keep looking.

The eyes moved swiftly, he tried his best to keep up with them. It was toying with him, he figured. It had him where it wanted, and now all it had to do was go for the kill.

It wasn't true. It couldn't be happening. Was he truly reliving the same nightmare, but this time, in the real world? Unable to bear it, he quickly turned, his back pressing hard against the edge of the sink.

The eyes stared back at him, directly. He slowly, but heavily swallowed. He could feel his Adam's apple move up and down as he did so. They slithered. The eyes. He could hear it in his ears. Whoever owned those wicked eyes was next to him. The thought made him want to scream, but he felt it was wrong. Slowly it encroached, the hairs on his arms standing.

Within a moment's notice, footsteps could be heard from outside. He searched the bottom of the door, seeing the shadow of someone's feet. He opened his mouth again, ready to say something, until he felt a huge gush of wind enter his mouth, preventing him from doing so.

He struggled against it, clutching hard against his throat. He was chocking. He could feel the room spin as he wrestled with the darkness that was those wicked eyes. It was taking him. His eyes widened in shock. This was it. He was going to die. He was going to die in a stupid bathroom.

Feeling the world fade away, and all he could think was: he was dying in a bathroom, at home, at four in the morning, on a Monday.

"Don't sleep," he heard someone shout. It sounded like it came from the outside. He stretched his hand out, trying to clutch the last of the light that he could see, between his fingers. "Don't fall asleep," he heard it again. He tried to say something, anything, but nothing came. "Stay awake," the voice called, but it sounded more distant, softer.

Something told him to keep awake, but sleeping seemed so much more inviting, sweeter. He was dying, and all he could think of was how stupid he was for screaming at her a few days before. Were nightmares real after all? Was he wrong for telling her all those things back at the hospital?

He sighed. It didn't matter anymore, right? All that mattered was sleeping. Yeah, that was more important, he thought. Sleeping.

He watched as the last of the light faded away, but in its place a pair of eyes remained. They weren't the same red eyes from before. There wasn't enough light in the room, yet strangely he could see the color of the eyes very well. They were green, vibrant, and vivid.

Eventually, even they slipped away. All he could see was darkness now. He was dying, but all he wanted was to live on, and undo all that he had done.

* * *

-x-x-x-x-

She awoke lightly, her vision still groggy. She reached out her arms to stretch her muscles, a wide yawn following suit. She smiled. For once, she managed to fall asleep. She almost wanted to laugh, but stopped upon hearing several murmurs coming from outside her room. It sounded odd.

Curious, she slowly stepped off her bed and made her way over to the door, placing an ear at its surface. She carefully listened in.

"No," she could hear. It was her mother. "But it's happened once again, hasn't it?"

She could hear another voice, only, this one sounded distant. Was she on the phone? She steadied her breathing to increase the amount of sound she could hear. "Lara," she overhead the person say her mother's name. She sighed. Whatever else the person said was too distorted from her position.

"No, Michael, don't worry, I'll be sure nothing happens to her. I'll protect her."

"Michael," she whispered aloud. It was a man her mother was speaking to. And what did her mother mean by "protect her"? Protect who? Was she talking about her? She heard the same murmur from the other end. It definitely was a man. She could finally tell. "Yes, don't worry. Stay safe, and watch little Arisa. Thank you," she heard her mother.

She paused, thinking of the entire conversation. What could her mother have been talking about? She listened in upon hearing her mother's footsteps as she walked away. "What's going on?" she asked aloud.

* * *

-x-x-x-x-

She sighed. She brushed off the sweat from her forehead as she grabbed her materials for Biology. Already, her week was beginning to seem strange. First, the unusual nightmares that terrorized her at night, then there was that weird phone call she received two days back, and now her mother was speaking in cryptic tones. In fact, during breakfast, all her mother did was keeping asking if she noticed anyone following her, or sending any weird text messages.

She sighed again, grabbing her bio textbook, before slamming her locker shut. What was worse, she hadn't seen any of her friends the entire day, and now more than ever when she felt like she needed them.

She sat at her usual spot in the classroom, slamming the textbook on the surface of the desk. She faced out the window, glancing at the reflection that shone from the glass. She felt strange, as if something was foreshadowing a coming of events, like a typical novel. Would the scenes play out so typically, she thought?

"Zoe," someone waved a hand in front of her snapping her from her thoughts.

She blinked several times, eyeing the person beside her. She smiled. "Junpei!" she exclaimed, more fervently than she had hoped. Was she really this excited to see a familiar face?

He smiled. "Glad to see someone's excited to see me."

She gave him a questionable look. "Wait, what are you doing here? Don't you have physics before lunch?"

He gave her a smirk. "Yeah, Mr. Izumi won't mind if I'm a little late. Besides," he said, while reaching into his bag. He pulled out a blue folder, taking out what seemed like a photo, before putting the folder away. "I have something to show you." He handed the paper over to her.

Zoe, eyed the photo, noticing the summary at the bottom. It was a newspaper. She began to read it aloud, stopping at the words, "missing". Her eyes widened. "Why did you bring me a section from the missing children's report?" she asked.

He nodded.

They both stopped to notice as the professor entered the classroom. He made a groaning noise. "It's not a missing person's ad," he corrected. He grabbed the paper from her hand, before standing up. He slouched his backpack over his shoulder. "Listen, some of us want to meet up during lunch if you're interested."

She thought on it. By "some of us", JP was referring to the old Digi-gang. On one end, she could guess why JP wanted to meet up. It had something to do with what he showed her. But on the other end, she paused to think about it, _he_ would be there. JP must have noticed, she figured, because he suddenly followed up with—

"Don't worry, Takuya, won't be there, if that's what you're thinking."

"Oh," she said curiously.

JP could sense a bit of vehemence in her voice. He sighed. "No, it seems he didn't come to school today." He watched as the teacher gave him a look. He nodded back. His time was up. "Anyways, I'll see you later, all right, Zo?" He gave her one last smile before leaving.

Zoe, again, looked out the window as her teacher began his lecture. Her eyes looked worn. Still, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Something strange was going on, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

.


End file.
